Books make excellent and well-appreciated gifts for Christmas. For one thing, they are beneficial in multiple ways: enjoyment, enrichment, broadening knowledge, and expanding cultural awareness. … more

“First Ladies” By Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray A highly skilled writer of historical fiction, Marie Benedict usually chooses as her subjects women of substance who … more

I read “Killers of the Flower Moon” before all the movie hoopla started. The film doesn’t sound as accurate as the book by David Grann, which I highly recommend. For something … more

One of the very best book I have read all year, “The Marriage Portrait,” is a superior work of historical fiction, riveting from the very first page. Based on the arranged marriage of 14-year-old Lucrezia de Medici, daughter of the wealthy Duke of Florence, to the powerful Alphonso, Duke of Ferrara, it is a mesmerizing tale of intrigue and machinations set in the 1550s. more

‘American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer’ By Kai Bird Given the popularity of this summer’s blockbuster film, this biography of J. Robert … more

It’s been a strange summer — too wet, too dry, too hot, cool nights. The one constant has been a variety of fabulous books for summer reading. Hope you enjoy some of these before fall … more

“My Sister’s Keeper” is a most intriguing and heart-rending story regarding a moral dilemma faced by parents Brian and Sara Fitzgerald, who might have remained a normal functioning family if not for the illness of their 3-year-old daughter, Kate, who is stricken with an aggressive form of leukemia. more

Once again, novelist Marie Benedict focuses her narrative on a brilliant, but overlooked woman, as she did in her earlier novels, “The Other Einstein,” about Albert’s wife Mileva, and “The Only Woman in the Room,” about film star Heddy Lamaar. Both of those books portrayed extremely capable scientists who were overshadowed by male counterparts. more

Once again Marie Benedict demonstrates her considerable writing skills in her latest novel, “Carnegie’s Maid.” As in her previous book, “The Other Einstein,” she develops her characters so as to make them come alive. more

In “Fly Girl,” the most recent book by local author Ann Hood, she chronicles her eight years spent as a flight attendant for TWA (Trans World Airways). Escaping her “small, depressed mill town” of Warwick, R.I.” to see the world was her primary goal. She just knew that whatever exciting was happening, it was “far from West Warwick.” more

A lot of rainy weather lately has had me reading instead of gardening. So, enjoy! “Just Last Night” (2021) by Mhairi McFarlane is a story of friendship, love and grief. Eve is in … more

‘Sold on a Monday’ By Kristina McMorris It all started with a picture. Set during the hardship years of the Depression, young reporter Ellis Reed is looking for an interesting story … more

I’ve been bingeing books lately. As the weather warms and the yard and garden call, reading will take a backseat for a month or two, so I’m trying to catch up on my reading list. Here … more

A few more books for winter reading (although it’s not very wintry lately). “A Lesson in Dying” (1990) and “Murder in My Backyard” (1991), the first two books in the … more

Two huge books this time. But, I like big books (and I cannot lie) if the story is compelling and both of these are very compelling. And, a few fun reads (a murder mystery and a thriller). … more

“Beautiful Country” is the English translation of the Chinese word for America, “Mai Guo,” and it is what Qian’s family believed when they first immigrated to the U.S. Her professor father, “BaBa,” arrived first after losing his teaching position during the 1996 Cultural Revolution for saying something about the government. more

‘Claude & Camille: A Novel of Monet’ By Stephanie Cowell If you favor Impressionist art and a good love story, you will like this book about French painter Claude Monet and the … more